Jan 1, 2024 7 min read Opinion

The Theory of Irrational Hope

“In your life expect some trouble / When you worry you make things double / Don’t worry, be happy.” – Bobby McFerrin, Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Worry or anxiety is a monster that, when left unchecked, feeds on our irrational fears; it is future-focused and self-reinforcing, and, if we don’t have a healthy relationship with our anxiety, it can quickly become overwhelming. As humans, being fundamentally rational creatures, we have tried every which way to think our way out of anxiety—to come up with a rational solution. But by and large, battling the irrational with the rational has proven insufficient—as anyone with mental health challenges can attest to. These past couple of months, I have found myself consumed by despair and anxiety, finding it almost impossible to continue my writing—which, in the past, had been a source of great joy and inspiration. On a particularly bad day, however, a different thought, completely unprovoked, came to mind: “irrational hope.” It was as if I had been sitting in the dark and someone had lit one small candle. But what did it mean? Could it be possible that we possess the ability to reverse engineer and replicate the mechanisms of anxiety, but to the opposite effect? In time I became convinced that we do, and, if you’ll bear with me, I would like to present to you my theory of irrational hope.

Stepping back, let’s take a deeper look at anxiety—specifically, at what is known as an anxiety spiral. There is growing research on the link between mind and body, and what is known scientifically as reinforcing feedback loops. Such a loop may begin with an anxious thought or uncomfortable physical sensation, perhaps related to a stressful life event, future-focused worry, or physical illness. The agitated mind then excessively focuses in on this thought or sensation, granting it outsized significance, and thereby amplifying the experience; the anxiety in the mind triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol in the body leading to heightened physical sensations, and the heightened physical sensations then further provoke the mind. If this goes uninterrupted, the loop can continue to repeat itself, leading to a physical state of hyperarousal, and a mental state of panic, hopelessness, and despair. So how do we interrupt this loop? Or even prevent it from beginning? The answer may lie in hope.

Research on the relationship between anxiety and hope is significant and increasing. Higher levels of hope have been found to be associated with lower levels of anxiety, and a predictor of success in the treatment of anxiety disorders. The impact of high-hope can be found in its effectiveness both as a protector against anxiety, increasing resilience, and also a treatment to reduce its severity; hopeful thinking and hope interventions have demonstrated notable success in reducing levels of anxiety. While further research is certainly merited to investigate the relationship between hope and anxiety—particularly the physical and mental functions and mechanisms involved, and the methods in which high-hope and its consequent health benefits can be triggered—it seems clear from the existing scientific body of work that encouraging hope as a treatment option to anxiety is both legitimate and promising.

Venturing outside of the predominant existing research in the treatment of anxiety, it is worthwhile to consider the possibility of triggering a reinforcing feedback loop of hope. While anxiety may trigger the production of adrenaline and cortisol, I believe hope may increase the production of what are known as the "feel-good hormones": dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, and serotonin—hormones which, like adrenaline and cortisol, are known to be reinforcing. Exercise, pleasurable activities, and meditation are all generally known to affect the presence of these hormones, and hopeful thinking or any exercise or activity done with the intention to boost hope could fall under any one of those categories. Spending time daily focusing the mind on hope may trigger the production of the feel-good hormones, which then leads to positive physical sensations and a positive mental state, which then reinforces and encourages the continuation of the hope-focused act or activity; I believe we may then replicate an anxiety spiral, but in the opposite. A hope spiral may even preempt an anxiety spiral, mitigate its effects, or reduce its duration. Perhaps with enough practice, hope spirals may take root in the mind and occur without prompting—like anxiety.

This may all sound quite inspiring, but there is a million-dollar question that I have yet to answer: how do we define hope? We can’t create hope spirals without a fundamental understanding and interpretation of hope in the first place. Well, this is where I present the root of my theory. Hope, contemporarily, is widely defined (with some variations) as wanting something to happen or be true, and thinking or feeling that it can happen or be true. Hope Theory, however, by Charles Richard Snyder, an American psychologist specialized in positive psychology, further defines hope as being comprised of three central components: goals, pathways, and agency; it theorizes that higher hope can be achieved when one not only has goals, but has pathways to reach those goals, and the motivation to do so. This is where Hope Theory and Irrational Hope Theory diverge. While I do not refute Hope Theory as having significant value and importance, I believe it represents a singular approach to hope, appealing to the rational mind—this, ultimately, is insufficent.

There are many instances in life where one may not have the pathways to achieve certain goals or desired outcomes; we are not always in control, and we don’t always have the ability to alter our perception of this truth. So what do we do then? Resign ourselves to a lack of or lower level of hope? I don’t think so. Thus enters irrational hope, which I define as a steadfast belief in the possibility and realization of a desired outcome or goal, regardless of how many rational reasons exist to suggest this goal or outcome is impossible or inconceivable. One reason why rational thinking is insufficient in the pursuit of hope is because human beings are not omniscient—we may be lacking information, or knowledge of certain key factors, which may play a significant role in the realization of our goals and desired outcomes; as a result, we often anticipate a worse outcome than what ultimately occurs, due to the limitations of foresight—anxiety itself is borne of these limitations. Basing our abilitiy to hope entirely on incomplete or faulty foresight is a mistake. If we acknowledge and confirm that there are fundamental health benefits of hope, then we must not restrict or limit when we can engage in its pursuit. For example, imagine someone you know and care about in an undesirable or even unhealthy work or home environment, with all of the evidence at hand suggesting that there is absolutely no pathway out of it—at least for the time being. I ask, would it be healthier or more worthwhile for this person to resign hope or to pursue it irrationally? I unequivocally believe in the latter. The act of hope itself, or the hopeful mind, is so valuable in and of itself that it is worth pursuing regardless of any discouraging rational analysis of one’s situation.

Therefore, based on the above conclusions, I have decided to launch The Irrational Hope Project, and I ask you to be among the first participants in this effort. While I am exploring the many ways in which this project may manifest itself, for now let’s keep it simple: take a Post-it, or rip off a spare piece of paper, and write on it “irrational hope.” Place it somewhere prominent, where you will see it frequently throughout your day, either at work, school, or home—let it be a reminder for you to pause, take a breath, and make a concerted effort towards hopeful thinking, regardless of your circumstances. Please feel welcome to reach out to me with stories of your progress or challenges at saysalaam@catslovemuslims.com and watch this space for further updates. In the meantime, if I may take what Bobby McFerrin wisely sang and make one small addition: don’t worry, have hope, be happy.